A blog about home brewing beer. The highs, the lows and the hangovers.
Thursday, July 31, 2025
Does craft lager need to exist? Tasting notes: a macro versus micro taste test
Forgive the clickbait title, of course it does. Some of my favorite craft beers and breweries are lagers or lager-focused. What I am asking specifically is does craft American lager need to exist? Pedantically speaking, I am referring to styles 1A American Light Lager and 1B American Lager in the BCJP style-Guidelines.
More and more craft brewers are making American-style lager. It used to be that craft beer was positioned as an alternative to bland, yellow beer. Other than responding to consumer tastes, what does craft American-style lager have to offer? Are craft brewers making better lagers than the largest lager brewers in the world? If so, is the quality difference significant enough to justify a higher price?
Let’s put it to the test.
I had been thinking about this for awhile when I purchased the beers for this tasting. After I purchased the beers, but before I conducted the tasting, Tree House attempted to answer this very question on their YouTube channel.
Nate’s comments were almost identical to my experience with my recent Cream Ale side-by-side; cream ale essentially being an American Lager fermented as an ale.
The four macro beers in the flight represent different tiers from my macro beers tier list. Of the craft lagers, the only one I tasted beforehand was the Queen City. If I had any preconceived notions at all, I probably expected the craft lagers to be cleaner without some of the flaws American macro beer can be known for.
Given the nature of the variable I was testing, I chose to taste these beers completely blind unlike my recent Irish stout tasting. I had Jennie steward for me by pouring the beers in another room before bringing them to me. Jennie kept track of what beer was what. She drank along with me, but didn't share any thoughts until I had tasted all eight beers. I filled out modified AHA scoresheets, the same ones used at NHC, for each beer.
Below are photos of each beer and a summary of my scoresheets. I'll post the actual scoresheets at the end of the article which in some ways will be more illustrative. Good luck reading my handwriting.
Entry 1
Aroma: Straw, super crisp fermentation (11/12)
Appearance: (3/3)
Flavor: Grainy malt, floral hop flavor that is barely there, bitterness is sufficient, fermentation very clean. Malt-forward overall (16/20)
Mouthfeel: Creamy, not effervescent. Otherwise to style (4/5)
Overall: Super clean, malt forward example. Does not feel adjuncty with a noticeable corn or rice flavor. Hop character is maybe a little lower than I'd like. This is still an excellent example (8/10)
Flavor: More bready than grainy, med-low peppery hop flavor. Fermentation a little estery, some banana. Finish nice and crisp (13/20)
Mouthfeel (5/5)
Overall: I like the malt/hop balance here. This beer is not boring, but not clean enough to score higher. (7/10)
Total Score: 36/50
Entry 3
Aroma: Malt notes of honey and straw. Pilsner malt used? Almost like a helles. Not much else. (9/12)
Appearance: Head foamy (3/3)
Flavor: Bready and slightly rich malt. Hop flavor medium high, floral and spicy. Hop bitterness is perfect and fermentation very clean. (16/20)
Mouthfeel: Crispy (5/5)
Overall: Really enjoyed this one. Malt and hop flavor may be a little high for the style. Kind of like a baby Czech Pils. That, or this is oxidized and I'm getting acetaldehyde. (6/10)
Total Score: 39/50
Entry 4
Aroma: Corn and straw. Fermentation slightly fruity, not a fault (8/12)
Appearance: Frothy head (3/3)
Flavor: White bread, floral hops. At first the finish is sweet, but then it dries out. (12/20)
Mouthfeel: Feels a little heavy, and finishes sweet at first. (4/5)
Overall: I don't love this and it's hard to put my finger on why. It is sweet. I get more acetaldehyde with each sip, which does add balance (5/10)
Total Score: 32/50
Entry 5
Aroma: Doughy malt, very delicate. (8/12)
Appearance: Thick, foamy and frothy head (3/3)
Flavor: Moderate grainy malt. Floral hop flavor almost medium in intensity. Fermentation a little estery. Bitterness high for style (12/20)
Mouthfeel: (5/5)
Overall: More hop flavror than aroma suggests. Somewhat harsh if not entirely unenjoyable. Not astringent at first, but it does build. (6/10)
Total Score: 34/50
Entry 6
Aroma: Straw, softest aroma yet (7/12)
Appearance: (3/3)
Flavor: Bready malt, moderate citrusy hop flavor. Bitterness lingers a little.(11/20)
Mouthfeel: Slight astringency (4/5)
Overall: Balance is towards malt, but the hop flavor as catty and harsh. Finish is not pleasant. (6/10)
Total Score: 31/50
Entry 7
Aroma: Bready malt, not much else (8/12)
Appearance: Foamy head (3/3)
Flavor: Moderate bready malt, almost no hop flavor, hop bitterness is barely sufficient. Fermentation is very clean. (15/20)
Mouthfeel: (5/5)
Overall: Least offensive beer so far, but also most boring. Probably oxidized and stale. Hop aroma and flavor almost absent. Clean and easy drinking (7/10)
Total Score: 38/50
Entry 8
Aroma: Grainy malt, subtle overall. (8/12)
Appearance: (3/3)
Flavor: Malt flavor moderate in intensity, almost helles-like. Hop flavor barely present, bitterness enough that beer is not quite cloying. Fermentation fairly clean, a little banana. (13/20)
Mouthfeel: (5/5)
Overall: I like this beer. It's just lacking in crispness for me. That could be age. Otherwise no major flaws, just kind of bland. (6/10)
Next time I conduct a similar tasting, I do want to revise the process a bit. Blind tasting one at a time was enlightening. I do wish I tasted less beer and saved some for later. Having some partial cans on ice that I could go back and revisit would be helpful. Narragansett, Budweiser and Bent Water were all separated by three points. It would have been good to go back and maybe taste them side-by-side. As I went through the flight, my palate did become fatigued and my scoresheets less verbose.
Noting or attempting to note the packaging dates would have been instructive. Who knows how long some of these singles were sitting on a warm shelf? That could have hurt the craft lagers in this tasting. Knowing where these beers came from may have influenced me to look for oxidation where maybe it wasn't.
As for the beers themselves, I do feel validated that one of my S-tier beers was the clear winner. The Coors Banquet was also purchased as a cold six pack. That could have been an unfair advantage. The Modelo was purchased as a cold single, and it was middle of the pack so maybe not. Either way I am surprised with how bland I found Modello.
My notes an Narragansett feel on the money. It's a beer I always enjoy, it's well-balanced just not the cleanest lager out there. I noted twice that Budweiser was "clean", which is not something I would have expected going into the tasting. Bud was probably the maltiest beer in the flight considering the intensity of malt flavor and lack of hop character; that is probably what I was getting when I called the beer clean.
I may need to revist the Bent Water Lager in a future 12x12 review next time I see a fresh, cold 12-pack. Lord Hobo I went in with no expectations for. As a longtime fan of Berkshire Brewing, I had high hopes for Berkshire Lager. Maybe I should give it another try. Maybe I should stick to BBC's classics like Steel Rail Extra Pale.
Queen City Bushwick as a Pre-Prohibition Lager probably did not belong in this flight. Calling it "catty and harsh" when judging it in the American Lager category was a good catch. Judged as a historic, pre-pro lager it would undoubtedly score higher.
To answer my question, does craft American lager need to exist? Just based off this one blind taste test, maybe not. Blind tasting isn't the only reason to buy a beer. There is nothing wrong with choosing to support a brand you enjoy or wanting to support local breweries.
Maybe there are better craft lagers out there. I will do a similar light lager tasting with a revised process.
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